"Alexander Radulov, the Russian who sparked a hockey boardroom war between the N.H.L. and the Russian K.H.L., won the world championship for his country by scoring the decisive goal in a 2-1 victory over Canada on Sunday."

Kinda' puts the exclamation point on something we all knew...Russia is the world's best hockey nation.

Period.

And while we're at it...

"The incredibly loud horn that goes off after a Blackhawks goal sounds like a ship's horn, and Monday night, the United Center sounded like the arrival of an armada. Seven goals will do that.

And after the last goal, the United Center really got loud. With the clock winding down after Patrick Kane's third goal of the night and the Hawks putting a death grip on a 7-5 lead over the Canucks, Chicago started getting ready for the Western Conference finals.

It was noise pollution, and it was the sweetest sound.

"At the end of the game, the last five minutes, I've never been in a building that I've heard so loud," said Adam Burish, who scored a third-period goal. "I've been to concerts, sporting events -- there's nothing I've experienced as loud as that."